Radcot Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Radcot Bridge | |
| Coordinates | 51°41′35″N1°35′19″W / 51.693081°N 1.588644°W /51.693081; -1.588644 |
| Carries | A4095 road,Thames Path |
| Crosses | River Thames |
| Locale | Radcot,Oxfordshire |
| Maintained by | Oxfordshire County Council |
| Heritage status | Grade I listed |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | arch |
| Material | Stone |
| Height | 11 feet 4 inches (3.45 m) |
| Load limit | 18 tonnes (18 long tons; 20 short tons) |
| History | |
| Opened | circa 1200 |
| Location | |
 | |
Radcot Bridge is a crossing of theThames in England, south ofRadcot,Oxfordshire, and north ofFaringdon, Oxfordshire which is in the district of that county that was in Berkshire.[n 1] It carries theA4095 road across the reach aboveRadcot Lock. In many analyses it is a series of three bridges – before the northern one is reached, mainly to the east, is the smaller island hosting the Swan Inn. On the main north bank are slight earthworks forming a large square in which further remains have been found ofMatilda's Castle and someRoman artefacts.
Three stone bridges cross this part of the upper Thames valley: from south to north, these are:Old Radcot Bridge,[1][2] theCanal Bridge (listed as part of Radcot Bridge)[3] andPidnell Bridge which is close to the main building on the smaller island, 'Ye Olde Swan' Hotel. The latter is confusingly furthest from Pidnell Farm – the nearest farmstead or hamlet in Faringdonparish.
Originally built across the Thames, Old Radcot Bridge now crosses only about a third of the local river flow since the construction, in 1787, of a new cut for theThames and Severn Canal. The Canal Bridge was built at the same time. Radcot Bridge is the oldest standing bridge on the Thames, the core having been built, with pointed arches ofTaynton stone, around 1200. TheCistercianmonks of Saint Mary atCîteaux inNormandy were granted land for the purpose byKing John.
The larger island which is crossed has a rectangular cottage (named after the bridge) with one side almost against the road, and which is alisted building.;[4] on the other side of the road ispillbox fromWorld War II, part of theGHQ Line.
Much of the structure was torn down during theBattle of Radcot Bridge on 19 December 1387 between troops loyal toRichard II, led by court favouriteRobert de Vere, and an army captained by Richard's cousin Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby – the futureHenry IV. The bridge was rebuilt in 1393. It was severely damaged during the latter part of theWars of the Roses, and was largely rebuilt as it appears today, with a flattened centre arch.
Radcot Bridge became a toll bridge and its wharf was commercially important as the highest shipping point on the Thames, with the junction of theSevern-Thames canal not far away atLechlade,Gloucestershire. During this era of theIndustrial Revolution in the United Kingdom the local towpath would also have become heavily worn year-round for the first time.[citation needed]
The longerThames Path, variants of which were first made in the 19th century, crosses the bridges.
Time Team, in a programme first broadcast on 15 February 2009, excavated Matilda's Castle in the summer of 2008. They found that visible earthworks near Radcot Bridge dated from the 17th-centuryEnglish Civil War, when Parliamentary forces built them to support cannon used to bombard Royalist forces garrisoned in Radcot House. Underneath some of these earthworks were remains of a squareNormankeep dating from the time of the 12th-centuryAnarchy. Evidence suggested the tower was pulled down a century after it was built. Its remains were further damaged by later constructions on the site. Some Roman remains, possibly from a villa, were also found.[5]
| Next bridge upstream | River Thames | Next bridge downstream |
| Eaton Footbridge (pedestrian) | Radcot Bridge Grid referenceSU2856399401 | Old Man's Bridge (pedestrian) |
| Next bridge upstream | Thames Path | Next bridge downstream |
| northern bank Bloomers Hole Footbridge | Radcot Bridge Grid referenceSU2856399401 | southern bank Tadpole Bridge |